Waikiki beach hotels

[princeton123211]

14 hours ago, philv said:

Thank you Cherie, Really looking forward to just chilling on beach watching the scene. Can you reserve beach set ups prior to check in? Any tips would be appreciated. 

Not only can you but you must well in advance-- they sell out regularly sometimes weeks out. 

[cccole]

And if you find the RH beach set ups already reserved you can check waikikibeachservices.com, and alohabeachservices.com. Cherie

[philv]

On 7/22/2024 at 10:19 PM, KeepCalmBearOn said:

 

Here is the website.

 

https://royalhawaiian.umbrella-finder.com/

 

The Umbrella and two lounge chairs is $70 a day and don't forget to tip the attendant who sets you up.

Thank you KeepCalmBearOn. I reserved chair set up at site you recommended. Easy peasy. Still plenty left for my date but preferred spots were booked. Reservation is for 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. So we have our special spot reserved on Waikiki beach and can enjoy the scene and vibe at our leisure. This is going to be great! 🏖😎

Edited July 24 by philv

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, philv said:

Reservation is for 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. So we have our special spot reserved on Waikiki beach and can enjoy the scene and vibe at our leisure.

It's a nice day. Typically what we do, and you'll see others do, is sort of cycle between the beach chairs, the Mai Tai bar (since you can't drink on the beach), and the private Malulani pool. They're all sort of attached to each other. You can bring your drinks into the pool and they do have servers in the pool area if the bar itself is crowded. But its nice having home base at the beach chairs. 

[LobsterStalker]

I read a lot on Pride of America of people renting cars for the 2 day stops and leaving them parked at locations like supermarkets , grocery stores , or even side of the road . Does anyone have any insight if you could get away with this anywhere in the Waikiki beach area to avoid the exhorbitant amount some of the hotels are charging for parking ?

 

Thx

[princeton123211]

3 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

I read a lot on Pride of America of people renting cars for the 2 day stops and leaving them parked at locations like supermarkets , grocery stores , or even side of the road . Does anyone have any insight if you could get away with this anywhere in the Waikiki beach area to avoid the exhorbitant amount some of the hotels are charging for parking ?

No. Its a major city. It will get ticketed and towed promptly. 

 

There are places on other islands where it's possible you can get away with it, although they are cracking down more in places like Maui etc, but Waikiki and Honolulu in general this isn't an option.

 

Parking anywhere in Waikiki is very expensive. What I would recommend if you have 2 days is renting the car for 1 day that you'll tour outside of the city, return it that afternoon/evening (there are options downtown even that provide an after hours drop box like Avis), and then spend day 2 doing things around Waikiki. Gets you out of paying for parking. 

[LobsterStalker]

8 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

No. Its a major city. It will get ticketed and towed promptly. 

 

There are places on other islands where it's possible you can get away with it, although they are cracking down more in places like Maui etc, but Waikiki and Honolulu in general this isn't an option.

 

Parking anywhere in Waikiki is very expensive. What I would recommend if you have 2 days is renting the car for 1 day that you'll tour outside of the city, return it that afternoon/evening (there are options downtown even that provide an after hours drop box like Avis), and then spend day 2 doing things around Waikiki. Gets you out of paying for parking. 

Thx , but this option is not gonna work to well since we have 9 days. We are already planning to limit the car to probably 4 days or so though .

[LobsterStalker]

What about outdoor "for pay" public parking lots ?

Are there any of these available in the area ? Would assume they may be less than the hotels ?

 

 

 

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, LobsterStalker said:

What about outdoor "for pay" public parking lots ?

Are there any of these available in the area ? Would assume they may be less than the hotels ?

Mainly garages-- Waikiki is an urban center with high rises. The garages are attached to hotels or the shopping centers. Generally the shopping centers don't allow overnight parking. I know that International Marketplace does not from personal experience.

 

Self parking at the hotel garages is usually $55-65 a night with valet parking being a little bit more. There are a few I think that are less. It's just very expensive to park in Waikiki proper. You can of course park outside of the core area for less but then you'll have to spend money on Ubers getting back. 

[LobsterStalker]

42 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Mainly garages-- Waikiki is an urban center with high rises. The garages are attached to hotels or the shopping centers. Generally the shopping centers don't allow overnight parking. I know that International Marketplace does not from personal experience.

 

Self parking at the hotel garages is usually $55-65 a night with valet parking being a little bit more. There are a few I think that are less. It's just very expensive to park in Waikiki proper. You can of course park outside of the core area for less but then you'll have to spend money on Ubers getting back. 

excellent , thx for the information

Tryin to zero in on my upcoming stay in October , I'm sure i'll come up with more questions

 

Cheers

[STLCARDS82]

Last time I was there I just Ubered everywhere!!

[LobsterStalker]

Last question for today .... Maybe 

It seems that the beach setup reservations sites have the Royal Hawaiian set up coming in at $70 compared to $95-$100 on the other sites  . Do I need to be staying at RH to reserve those chairs or could I say be staying at Moana and still reserve from the RH reservation site , and use their chairs ?

Also , are the beach bars along the way all open to the public as well , or are some for hotel guests only ?

 

Thx again

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, STLCARDS82 said:

 

 

[princeton123211]

50 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Do I need to be staying at RH to reserve those chairs or could I say be staying at Moana and still reserve from the RH reservation site , and use their chairs ?

Yes-- the Royal Hawaiian beach set ups are only for Royal Hawaiian guests and it will require a valid Royal Hawaiian confirmation number to confirm.

 

If you are staying at the Moana Surfrider you have charging privileges at the RH and Sheraton for food and beverage, but that does not extend to the beach chairs. 

 

51 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Also , are the beach bars along the way all open to the public as well , or are some for hotel guests only ?

So they are off the beach, because drinking on the beach technically is illegal in Hawaii, but they are all open to everyone. The Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian is just off the beach and you can go there as a non guest. Same with the bar in the courtyard facing the beach at the Moana Surfrider. 

[DCwom]

6 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

Thx , but this option is not gonna work to well since we have 9 days. We are already planning to limit the car to probably 4 days or so though .

We were in Waikiki for 7 days total and managed to only rent for a single day using the Avis at the International marketplace. I explored a bunch of different scenarios myself, but kept coming back to the "cheaper to Uber" conclusion. We did take the bus to the Palace 1 day and HOMA/Shangri La on another, the bus was easy for those locations, we used Uber to Pearl Harbor. If you go to the PCC, I'd recommend the charter bus transportation. Good luck with your planning, if you find a reasonable solution be sure to post your results for others to learn.

[LobsterStalker]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Yes-- the Royal Hawaiian beach set ups are only for Royal Hawaiian guests and it will require a valid Royal Hawaiian confirmation number to confirm.

 

If you are staying at the Moana Surfrider you have charging privileges at the RH and Sheraton for food and beverage, but that does not extend to the beach chairs. 

 

So they are off the beach, because drinking on the beach technically is illegal in Hawaii, but they are all open to everyone. The Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian is just off the beach and you can go there as a non guest. Same with the bar in the courtyard facing the beach at the Moana Surfrider. 

Thank you for this . Very helpful

 

Cheers

[40-LOVE]

Hey all…so much great info in this thread.  Our original plan was to do Waikiki for 6 nights and Kauai for 4 nights.  Anyone have any thoughts on this? We have already done Maui.  And last time we were on Oahu, we did Waikiki and Aulani. Is 10 days too long for just Waikiki? My husband isn’t sure he really wants to go to another island. We did book RH for our stay on Waikiki. Thank you

[KeepCalmBearOn]

58 minutes ago, 40-LOVE said:

Hey all…so much great info in this thread.  Our original plan was to do Waikiki for 6 nights and Kauai for 4 nights.  Anyone have any thoughts on this? We have already done Maui.  And last time we were on Oahu, we did Waikiki and Aulani. Is 10 days too long for just Waikiki? My husband isn’t sure he really wants to go to another island. We did book RH for our stay on Waikiki. Thank you

 

Flip it, 6 nights Kauai, 4 nights Oahu. On Kauai look at the Grand Hyatt and Koloa Landing (Marriott).

[KeepCalmBearOn]

There is parking at Kapi'olani Park, but it is first come, first serve.

[Josie201]

Aloha.  Good info here.  Looking for recommendations for cruise passengers (i.e. not hotel guests) for chair and umbrella rental please?  I think last time several years ago we just walked through one of the hotels to the beach and found a kiosk/vendor.  Is this still an option any any particular section of beach better?  Thank you. 

[princeton123211]

21 minutes ago, Josie201 said:

I think last time several years ago we just walked through one of the hotels to the beach and found a kiosk/vendor.  Is this still an option any any particular section of beach better?

The only one I know of that is exclusive to their hotel guests is the Royal Hawaiian and they require a RH confirmation number to book and you need to show your RH guest bracelet to get seated (they take it pretty seriously). I believe the others, like at the Moana Surfrider, you can rent them as a member of the public (but cant use the pool, other services, etc). 

[cccole]

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

Aloha.  Good info here.  Looking for recommendations for cruise passengers (i.e. not hotel guests) for chair and umbrella rental please?  I think last time several years ago we just walked through one of the hotels to the beach and found a kiosk/vendor.  Is this still an option any any particular section of beach better?  Thank you. 

You might check my post #52.  These companies are on Waikiki Beach and the public can reserve their beach set ups.  There are several more all along the beach.  wsbservice.com is another good one.  And, yes, you can walk thru the hotels to the beach to your vendor, eat at the restaurants, etc., but, of course, not use their pool or private hotel loungers.  Also, beachboyhale.com will deliver to you at your hotel or beach location and you can set up wherever you want.  Have fun, Cherie

Edited July 30 by cccole

[DCwom]

3 hours ago, Josie201 said:

Aloha.  Good info here.  Looking for recommendations for cruise passengers (i.e. not hotel guests) for chair and umbrella rental please?  I think last time several years ago we just walked through one of the hotels to the beach and found a kiosk/vendor.  Is this still an option any any particular section of beach better?  Thank you. 

We went to HI for 2 weeks and never spent a "day" at the beach, so take my advice lightly😁 We were in Waikiki for pre-cruise and post-cruise base touring of Oahu, we did spend a few of hours on a towel a couple of days, but not long enough to justify renting chairs/umbrella. However we did notice that the prices were cheaper the further down the beach you went from the beachfront hotels, around the Duke statue if i recall the prices were about $20 less.

[princeton123211]

16 hours ago, 40-LOVE said:

Is 10 days too long for just Waikiki? My husband isn’t sure he really wants to go to another island.

10 days in Waikiki is a lot of time-- I realize people live in Honolulu full time but from a vacation perspective I would be pretty bored after 3-4 days there. Another idea if you want to spend time in Oahu but not necessarily on Waikiki would be to head to the North Shore to Turtle Bay Resort. 

 

I agree with Bear on Kauai recs. You could head to Lanai but the FS there is very expensive-- excellent resort though, very quiet from an amount of people perspective, and exploring Lanai can be a lot of fun. Have not been to the other option there, the Lodge since it was redone into a health retreat managed by Four Seasons. 

[cccole]

@40-LOVE  Totally understand your husband not wanting to travel to another island.  Sometimes you lose a day of vacation time.  There is an airline, Southern, that flies non stop from the commuter terminal in HNL to Kapalua on Maui, and Molokai.  I love these flights, it's sort of like a flight tour.  You are not interested in Maui and I haven't been to Molokai in a few years.

 

We have always loved the diversity of Oahu and have spent many vacations on the North Shore.  As I mentioned in post #4, I agree that the Turtle Bay Hotel is a great combination with Waikiki.  I love Waikiki, but 10 days would even be too much for me.  You've stayed at the Kahala and Aulani resorts, so I recommend Turtle Bay Hotel.  Beautiful pool, whales in March and April, surfing on one side, my kids loved this, and a protected lagoon on the other.  Ted's Bakery, shrimp trucks, and beautiful beaches.  You'll have a great time no matter what you choose.  Cherie 

[princeton123211]

3 minutes ago, cccole said:

There is an airline, Southern, that flies non stop from the commuter terminal in HNL to Kapalua on Maui, and Molokai.  I love these flights, it's sort of like a flight tour.  You are not interested in Maui and I haven't been to Molokai in a few years.

We use Mokulele Airlines for these short hops but agree they are a fun way to get an aerial tour while you head somewhere. You certainly see a lot more out the window of a low flying Cessna Caravan than you do cruising on one of Hawaiians interisland 717 jets. The flight from Kapalua back to Honolulu in particular usually passes on the North side of Molokai and you are eyelevel with the spectacular cliffs. 

 

That being said I wouldn't say Molokai is a particularly tourist friendly spot to go to. Very little tourist infrastructure-- there are no major resorts and only a handful of limited service hotels or condo rentals. Have never felt particularly welcome there on the 2 times we've gone over the years.